This invention generally relates to cushioning and stabilizing heavy loads, and more specifically pertains to preventing damage to heavy rolls or coils, such as, for example, paper rolls.
There has been a long felt need for safely shipping heavy, cumbersome loads that are generally cylindrical in shape. A specific example would be a roll of paper, which by industry standards, typically measures up to 42 inches in diameter and is about 10 to 12 feet in length. A paper roll of this size would weigh about 10,000 to 15,000 pounds and it should be obvious that such a large object, even under the most modest acceleration, would exhibit an extremely significant quantity of stored kinetic energy. Such heavy elongated rolls must furthermore be adequately supported so as not to sag or otherwise become out-of-round. Thus, a well-engineered support system is required to safely store, move, and ship such rolls, otherwise, they will or can be very easily damaged.
A problem with many support systems currently available is that they are typically made of materials which may scratch or otherwise leave permanent indentations in the surface of the roll. An example would be a cradle that is constructed from wood. Furthermore, wood cradles typically have a very short service life as a result of rough handling. Another problem is that most cradles fail to provide an included means for lifting the cradle and the roll as a unit so that the roll can be shipped without providing a separate lifting device at each destination where the roll is to be shipped or moved.
Moreover, even when large rolls are adequately secured, contact with another roll during movement will usually cause one or both of the rolls to become dented or out-of-round. Thus, a related problem with most conventional cradles is that they may fail to provide some form of protection against travel of the roll. A typical solution in this regard is to provide a separate spacer cushion for insertion in between sets of rolls as a means for preventing damage from one roll contacting the other during shipment or storage. Such spacer cushions add additional cost to ship the product, not only because of the cost of the cushions themselves, but also because of the labor time in setting the spacer cushions between the rolls. Thus, in this respect, it can be appreciated that many of the current cradle devices fail to perform a protection function with respect to movement of the rolls in transport.
Therefore, there is still a need for an improved bracing and supporting system for use in transporting or storing heavy rolls, especially metal and paper rolls, in order to overcome the difficulties with the prior art as mentioned above.
It is a primary object of the invention to provide a load support for supporting a load having a curved exterior, which comprises a base having a top and bottom, the top having a load-engaging surface, the bottom having a pair of laterally spaced outer portions or feet, and an intermediate portion, or foot, disposed between the outer portions. In one embodiment, each outer foot has an outboard heel and an inboard heel, the outboard heels being on a same first horizontal plane and the inboard heels being on a same second horizontal plane. The inboard heels are disposed above the first horizontal plane. The intermediate foot is also disposed above the first horizontal plane in this preferred form, although it need not be. When a load is placed upon the load-engaging surface of the base, the base flexes, such that the inboard heels of each outer foot become co-planar with the outboard heels, the intermediate foot becomes co-planar with the outer feet, and the load-engaging surface curves to embrace the curved exterior of the load.
The load support of this preferred embodiment has the load-engaging surface formed of first and second opposed and identical generally linear-sloped parts, and a generally planar intermediate section disposed between the sloped parts. The intermediate section is in a plane that is generally parallel to and above the first and second horizontal planes. Each of the sloped parts has a tapering surface that preferably slopes downwardly toward the intermediate section.
Most preferably, the feet are equidistantly spaced apart, and the intermediate foot is centered under the longitudinal extent of the intermediate section so that the loading on the support is through a center of the load support. Each sloped part flexes towards the other when a load is placed upon the load bearing surfaces, and the intermediate section flexes downwardly when a load is placed upon the load bearing surfaces.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a flexing load support made of a high density foam. The foam is rugged for a durable, long-lasting support. It also yields a somewhat resilient surface, which will not damage the roll being supported.
Most advantageously, while the foam support will deform to perform its load-supporting function, it will then substantially return to its original shape upon removal of the load. The foam construct can also be provided with a rubberized surface to further enhance its grasping and stabilizing abilities. A strap can additionally be used as part of the cradle support to wrap the roll in place on the cradle.
It should be noted that, while the invention is described hereafter with respect to an embodiment using feet, it is not necessarily so limited in application. The material (e.g., foam) of the cradle may be selected to provide a planar bottom to the base, for instance, such that as the roll settles on the cradle, the roll settles into it, and the outside portions still provide the flexing and grasping functions in compression. Use of discrete feet, however, has the advantage of providing slots for receiving tines of a forklift so that the roll and its support system can be lifted as one.
The features and advantages of the invention will be further understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which: